One in Six Highway Deaths Tied to Distracted Driving

"We're really trying to change a culture in the United States. Laws alone don't necessarily stop distracted driving," Hurd said. "We're not that naïve to think that just because there's a law that everything's going to stop."

"We want you to turn your cell phone off because we're living proof that in three or four seconds your entire life can change," he added.

Highway Safety, Cell Phones and Texting

Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said that most drivers probably know that texting or talking on a phone isn't safe.

"So simply reminding them that that's an unsafe thing to do is probably not enough to change their behavior," McCartt said. "When we look at states that have enacted laws limiting phone use, many drivers still persist in talking on phones and texting. Those laws can be very difficult to enforce."

McCartt said most drivers believe that they tend to be safer than other drivers on the road.

"Surveys show that a large majority of drivers think they're better than average drivers so it, people may believe that they can text or talk on a phone safely while other people on the road can't," she said. "With any kind of unsafe driving -- drinking and driving, speeding, not wearing your seatbelt -- you may get away with that most of the time. You don't think you're going to be in a crash. So it's hard to keep the worry about being in a crash foremost in your mind."

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